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Philippines, 19 Mar 2026 |
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FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTIST MAKES IT BIG IN THE U.S. By Aquiles Z. Zonio PhilBoxing.com Tue, 24 Mar 2015  LOS ANGELES ? An elite Filipino martial artist is making it big in the field of fitness and martial arts here. Despite his success, however, George Ta?on Edillor, 45, a native of Virac, Catanduanes, remains humble. He attributes his success to his current partner in life, Eliza Rica Anderson. ?Without Eliza, it could have been difficult for me to put up this kind of fitness and martial arts facility. We spent around half a million dollar to establish this kind of training facility,? Edillor said. Jojo, as he is fondly called by his family and friends, met Eliza, a former actress and beauty titlist from Cavite, during the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley rematch in Las Vegas last year. ?She?s a lovely work of art. I?m exaggerating the obvious but I?d like to tell you she?s more beautiful inside. That was the reason why she captivated by heart and imagination the first time we met,? Jojo said. The couple owns the MPowerhauz, a world-class fitness and martial arts facility, located at Lassen street, Chatsworth, California. Hall of Famer? Edillor?s unassuming character has sometimes been misinterpreted by some as a sign of his being a lily-livered fighter. But, he?s no poltroon or weakling. He rose beyond mediocrity through discipline, patience and hardwork. No wonder, he was designated no less than by world eight-division boxing champion and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao as overall security in-charge of Team Pacquiao here. Aside from that, he also once served as personal security of Hollywood actor Tim Curry. It?s a tough job but his colleagues in the Team Pacquiao looked up to his skills with great admiration and respect. Edillor was inducted last year into the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He is a four-time Hall of Famer in Martial Arts back in the Philippines and a recipient of the prestigious ?Master of Masters? and ?Outstanding Trainer? awards in the US. He is a fourth-degree black belt in martial arts and a fifth-level black belt in Krav Maga (Hebrew words for contact combat) with one year advanced training in hostage situation, home invasion, hold-up, and hijack situation. He is also a Krav Maga-certified fitness instructor. Currently, he is the chief instructor of the MPowerhauz Training club, which also serves as headquarters of Alpha Krav Maga here. Before putting up his own training facility, he taught martial arts in various private clubs here. ?I taught practical self-defense techniques and combat martial arts in different gyms here before I was able to establish my own. My students include, among others, UFC & MMA fighters and other martial arts buffs, security personnel, policemen and even sheriffs,? he said. MPowerhauz specializes in Combat Martial Arts like boxing, hand-to-hand fighting, street fighting, ground fighting, guns & knives attacks and sticks. The training facility is also conducting trainings and crash courses on weight training & physical conditioning, boxing, kickboxing, guns proficiency & marksmanship, as well as, VIP Security. Wholistic? MPowerhauz?s training approach is far from conventional. ?It?s all-in-one concept. We offer CrossFit, mixed martial arts and everything,? Edillor said. The gym uses equipment from multiple disciplines, including barbells, dumbbells, banana bags, punching bags, treadmills, stationary bikes, tires, pull-up bars, benches, ropes, boxing ring, octagon, etc. Inside the gym, students are not only getting appropriate training and practical knowledge on self-defense and contact combat but the right mindset and attitude in handling different situations. ?It?s part of our training regimen to develop among our students the right attitude how to handle or deal with white-knuckle situations. Skills and adequate trainings are just useless when we panic or become nervous vis-a-vis the actual situation,? he said. Barely two months since the training facility started, the number of students who regularly train at the gym surged to 60. ?Our training approach is highly-personalized to really develop an A-1 fighters. Nothing they can ask more. We offer a total package -- from physical conditioning to acquisition of the desired skills and the right mindset,? he said. Topnotch? Aside from being well-equipped, MPowerhouse Training Club is also handled by topnotch instructors. These include chief instructors Jacov Bresler, a world-class Alpha Krav Maga instructor; Eugene Smith, a Navy Seal and Afghan war veteran; and Cesar Pacol, an aerospace engineer aside from being a martial artist. The assistant instructors are Alexis Nelson, a doctor; and JD Divine, a retired C-130 reloader of the US Air Force. The chief strength and conditioning instructor is Ken Rayusada, a martial artist and former Mr. Japan. Photo: George & Eliza inside Cong. Manny Pacquiao's residence in North Plymouth, Los Angeles. Photo by Aquiles Zonio. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Aquiles Z. Zonio.  |
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